Are you listening?

Matthew 21:16 (ESV)

And they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, “‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?”

I heard this story about a professional golfer playing in Los Angeles. The only caddy available was young and inexperienced. So, before they teed off, the golfer told him, "Don't say a word to me. And if I ask you something, just answer yes or no -- nothing else"

During one round, the golfer found his ball next to a tree, where he had to hit under a branch, over a lake and onto the green. He got down on his knees and looked through the trees and sized up the shot.

"What do you think?" he asked the young caddy, not really wanting his opinion. "Five-iron?"

"No," he replied. "What do you mean, not a five-iron?!" the pro-golfer snorted. "Watch this shot. "Again, the caddy insisted. "No-o-o."

But the ball was hit beautifully, and stopped a shocking two feet from the hole. The pro turned to his caddy, handed him the five-iron and said, "Now then young lad, what do you think about that?

"But…" the caddy said, "That wasn't your ball."

If it's one thing we've learned, it's that we need to listen to others. We have so much to learn from one another -- especially the young! We may have some great ideas but the Lord may well more for us and He wants us to keep an open ear!

Dear Lord, help us to have our ears open to listen to those around us. Help us to not try and do everything on our own.  In the Name of Jesus, Amen.  

What sounds are our ears trained to listen?

John 10:27 (ESV)

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

An Indian was walking in downtown New York City alongside a resident friend. As they approached a busy street corner in the center of Manhattan, the Indian seized his friend's arm and whispered, "Wait. I hear a cricket." "Come on!", the city boy sneered, "This is downtown New York -- how could you possibly hear a cricket?" His friend persisted however, "No - seriously, I do!"

As cars were roaring, horns honking, people shouting, brakes screeching, cash registers clanging, subway clamoring and people bustling about, the Indian began leading his friend along slowly, every now and again stopping and turning his ear toward the seemingly noiseless sound. At last, the Indian insisted they were near and proceeded to follow the sound across the street and toward a small dark corner next to a graffiti covered wall. There, he bent down to a minuscule tuft of grass and pulled out the cricket. "I told, you", he said, "I heard a cricket."

Astounded, the New Yorker marveled "How could you have heard that cricket in the middle of all this noise?" "Well", said his foreign friend, "My ears are different from yours. It simply depends on what you're listening to. Here, let me show you what I mean." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of change --a couple of quarters, three or four nickels, and a dime and a few pennies. "Now," he said, "watch this." He held the coins waist high and dropped them to the sidewalk. At once, every head within nearly a block turned around and looked in the direction of the Indian.

"You see, It all depends on what you're listening to."

To what sounds are our ears trained to listen? Are they trained to hear the sound of money, of gossip, of complaining, of worldly things or are they trained to hear the still small voice of the Most High, directing and advising us in the way we should go?

Let's ask the Lord to train our ears to hear the things of God today. We need to be listening for His direction in the hustle and bustle of this noisy and influential world or we will surely go astray!

Dear Lord, help us have our ears focused on You today. Help us be listening to Your words and not let the things of this world drawn You out. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Take that time to hear what He's saying to us!

Psalm 46:10 (ESV)

“Be still, and know that I am God.

    I will be exalted among the nations,

    I will be exalted in the earth!”

"Before refrigerators, people used ice-houses to preserve their food. Ice-houses had thick walls, no windows, and a tightly fitted door. In winter, when streams and lakes were frozen, large blocks of ice were cut from the frozen waters, hauled to the ice-houses, and covered with sawdust. Often these ice-blocks would last well into the summer.

The story is told of one man lost a valuable watch while working in an ice-house. He searched diligently for it, carefully raking through the sawdust, but didn't find it. His fellow workers also looked, but their efforts, too, proved futile. A small boy who heard about the fruitless search slipped into the ice-house during the noon hour and soon emerged with the watch.

Amazed, the men asked him how he found it.

"I closed the door," the boy replied, "lay down in the sawdust, and kept very still. Soon I heard the watch ticking."

So often life can become so hectic that it becomes hard to find time to sit still and just listen to what the Lord is saying. But Jesus often secluded himself, so that He could commune intimately with His Father. In these days and in this hour it's so imperative that we spend time in our own prayer closets, so we can clearly hear what our Father is saying to us, through His still small voice. If we do, we may find some wonderful and valuable things that others have missed.

The question isn't whether God will speak, but whether we will take the time to be quiet and still enough to hear His voice. Let's be sure to take that time to hear what He's saying to us!

Dear Lord, help us be still today and listen to Your voice. Help us not be so busy we miss what You have to say. IN the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Are we always talking and not listening

James 1:19-20 (ESV)

19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt got tired of smiling that big smile and saying all the usual things at those White House receptions. So, one evening he decided to find out whether anybody was paying attention to what he was saying. As each person came up to him with extended hand, he flashed his big smile and said, "I murdered my grandmother this morning." People would automatically respond with comments such as "How lovely." or "Continue on with your great work." Nobody listened to what he was saying, except for one foreign diplomat. When the president said, "I murdered my grandmother this morning," the diplomat responded softly, "I'm sure she had it coming to her.

"It's a funny story, but how often do we do the same? It seems that we have lot's to say but we are not very good at listening. Think about it -- how many language, speech and speaking courses can you find in your college course book? But can you find even one class on listening?? There is such a lack of good listening skills in this day and age that we have to pay someone a lot of money just to listen to us! More importantly, God has many things He desires to reveal to us -- but we're always talking, talking, talking!

Dear Lord, help us strive to do less talking and more listening today. Let's give others and the Lord a chance to be heard. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Take a minute to just listen to God.

Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV) 

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare[a] and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Some years ago on a hot summer day in south Florida a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house.

In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore.

His mother, in the house, was looking out the window and saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, she ran toward the water, yelling to her son as loudly as she could. Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his mother.

It was too late. Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him. From the dock, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two.

The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was much too passionate to let go.

A farmer happened to drive by, heard her screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator. Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived.

His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. And, on his arms, were deep scratches where his mother's fingernails dug into his flesh in her effort to hang on to the son she loved.

The newspaper reporter who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs; and then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, "But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my mom wouldn't let go."

You and I can identify with that little boy. We have scars, too.

No, not from an alligator, or anything quite so dramatic. But, the scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly and have caused us deep regret. But, some wounds, my friend, are because God has refused to let go. In the midst of your struggle, He's been there holding on to you.

The Scripture teaches that God loves you. If you have Christ in your life, you have become a child of God. He wants to protect you and provide for you in every way.

But sometimes we foolishly wade into dangerous situations. The swimming hole of life is filled with peril - and we forget that the enemy is waiting to attack. That's when the tug-o-war begins - and if you have the scars of His love on your arms, be very, very grateful. He did not - and will not - let you go.

God has wonderful plans for your life.

Let us each take just a moment to stop talking and listen to what God has to say to us.

Dear Lord, today we pray that we would just sit back and listen to You. Help us focus on the plans that You have for each of us today. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Hear The Words.

Proverbs 15:13 (NIV)

A happy heart makes the face cheerful,

    but heartache crushes the spirit.

"Son!", Tim's father shouted, "Is it possible you could please turn that noise down!?" Tim, who had only two months earlier earned his driver's license, calmly ejected his favorite music CD that had his favorite song on it.

"Sorry dad, but I love that song cranked up loud because it makes me happy every time I hear it!", Tim less than calmly replied with a grin on his face. His father glanced over in his son's direction briefly with a look of disgust. "Tim", his father finally responded, "What on earth makes you happy by listening to that screaming guitar and what's the name of that garbage?"

Tim softly smiled as he vowed to himself that he would not become the same bitter, constantly angry, negative, and sadly miserable father he had seen his entire life who sat unsettled next to him on the drive home. His mother tried her best to fend off any possible future negativity in Tim, their only son and child, by always praising him and occasionally clapping in rhythm to the music Tim would ask her to hear.

She had grown weary of trying to explain to Tim of how happy his father was when they first got married. In fact, Tim told his mother one day many months prior that she didn't have to defend his dad. He told her that he would be more like her when he got married and had a family to call his own.

"Well dad, the song is called "Happy" and Phil Keaggy wrote it. He's a great guitar player and sings great too!" Tim's impudent father rolled his eyes and replied, "All I hear is that blasting guitar so Mr. Keaggy or whatever his name is must have lost his vocal chords," his father bitterly answered.

"No way dad! You tell me to turn if off before he gets the chance to sing! You never listen long enough to hear the words!"

His father shifted in his seat and pointed to a scripture Tim had pinned up on the old sun-visor of the car Tim had bought a week before he got his driver's license. The old AMC Pacer was all Tim could afford with the money he'd earned since he was 14 mowing lawns in their neighborhood.

"That church you go to would be ashamed of you boy if they only knew the trash you listen to that makes you so happy! Your mom takes you there but it's obviously a waste of her time. And you wonder why I don't go?!", his father replied again with that same unsettled look Tim was painfully accustomed to seeing.

As Tim neared the familiar bend in the narrow two-lane road leading to their home, a new red sport's car was clearly out of control. Tim frantically tried to steer to the right but the red bullet slammed into the driver's side of the Pacer--sending it swirling up a sharp grassy incline where again, the Pacer hit with great force on Tim's side of the car against a big maple tree.

Tim's father was jarred but had not one blemish as he looked over and saw Tim's face covered in blood slumped forward and resting with no movement on the steering wheel.

"Oh God! Someone help my son!" Tim's father shouted as he ran to the street to flag down a motorist. The driver of the red sport's car, also without a blemish, ran from his slightly damaged car with a cell phone in his hand. "Sir, I'm sorry! Here's my phone!" The college aged young man shouted with a strong smell of beer on his breath.

Tim was taken to the same hospital where his mother, with his father by her side, was rushed to when he was born. As Tim's mother arrived in the emergency room, she embraced her distraught husband as both cried with fear uncontrollably. The doctor who'd administered only 30 minutes of treatment in an effort to save their son's life, asked them to come to a private room.

"I have only had to share this kind of news three times since I began working in the emergency room at this hospital and three times is way too many times," the gray haired doctor somberly stated. "Your son's chest cavity was crushed and we did all we could, but he didn't have the strength to hold on."

Tim's parents placed their hands to their faces, sobbing and hoping that what they had just heard was wrong. "Doctor, Tim's mother through anguished words asked, "Are you telling me my son is dead?" The doctor steadied himself and gained as much composure as he could before replying, "Yes ma'am, your son's injuries were extremely severe but he was cognitive for the last ten minutes we were trying to save him." Tim's parents looked startled and awaited grievously for what the doctor would say next.

"Your son smiled at me and asked that if he died, that I'd promise to tell his dad something. I don't know, sir, what your son's final words will mean to you, but I am going to honor his request. I've never, in all 27 years of practicing medicine, heard anyone speak with such strength and clarity as your son did being in the condition that he was in. Sir, he asked me to tell you to...please listen long enough to hear the words."

Tim's father melted to the floor and the doctor discerned that it would be best to leave the grieving parents alone in the private room.

Two weeks after Tim's burial, his father opened the passenger's side door of the Pacer that he simply could not bear to sell. He took the music CD from the car's CD player and pulled the scripture down that remained on the visor. He got in his Jeep and turned Tim's favorite song up loudly and listened through the guitar solo until he heard the soulful man's tenor voice sing the words to this song entitled "Happy."

The lyrics rang out joyfully, "I'm so happy Lord; I'm so grateful Lord since You came to me; You set me free and You welcomed me, in Your family..."

He listened to the song repeatedly for a solid hour before he pulled his new Jeep he'd selfishly bought only three days after Tim so happily bought his old beat up AMC Pacer. The Jeep meant nothing to him but as he pulled the scripture out of his shirt pocket, he knew what Tim had been trying to tell him for so many years. Tearfully he read the pin-punctured note's words: "A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit." Proverbs 15:13

Dear Lord, help us to take the time to listen to the end.  We pray that we would be cheerful in all that we do. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

White Noise

Matthew 13:9 (NIV)

Whoever has ears, let them hear.

Have you ever heard of the term “white noise?” It’s used by broadcasters to blank out unwanted sounds on radio, television, and satellite programs. On its own, it sounds like a lot of static, but when it’s applied to a recording, the white noise gets rid of irritating sounds and unwanted frequencies.

We use “white noise” when we want to block out other sounds too. If workers are drilling in the street outside our homes or offices, we may increase the volume of our televisions or radios to cancel out the drilling noise. Or if we’re in a building where we can hear people talking in the next room, we might put a fan on to cancel out the sound of their voices. That would be white noise too.

There’s a lot of white noise in the world and in people’s hearts and spirits. The white noise that we've created with our lives has cancelled out Christ’s Voice. We make important choices without even consulting Him. We worship without even focusing on Him. We express our faith without even reading, knowing, or applying His Words. We've cancelled out Christ with all of the distractions in our lives. He still speaks His challenging words to us, but we’re either not hearing Him at all or we've distorted His words to suit our own ideas, opinions, and culture.

We’re afraid to listen to Christ’s Truth because He will radically change our ideas.

We’re afraid to follow His Way because we want to keep things going our way.

We’re reluctant to accept His Life because our lives will no longer be our own.

So instead of listening to Christ or hearing the Gospel, we create white noise to block out His irritating words and uncompromising demands. We want Jesus to be meek and mild – meek enough to mold Him our way and mild enough not to meddle in our lives.

The challenge that we face today and every day is this: how can we block out the world’s white noise and really listen to Jesus?

Dear Lord, we have failed to follow You completely. We are guilty of letting the white noise around us to block You from our lives and changing our ways. Help us to refocus our hearts and minds so that we will actually listen to You. In Jesus’Name, Amen.

Stand and Listen

Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;

    I will be exalted among the nations,

    I will be exalted in the earth.”

In 1989, a family was beginning to build their dream home on their six-acre property. At the lock-up stage of construction, unusually heavy rains caused a massive landslide below the house that left it standing a few feet from the edge of a sheer clay drop of about 300 feet to the creek below.

The advice of soil engineers was, "Move the house before it goes down. It is only a matter of time. Nothing can be done to save it."

It was a traumatic time of confusion, but following the only option given, they made arrangements to move the house.

Strangely, they could not feel at peace with their decision and cancelled the move a few days before the scheduled moving date.

They say God had given us a word from Haggai 1:8, "Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord." (KJV)

They clung to that in the face of all the well-meaning, contrary advice of family and friends.

During the process he said, “There were times when my faith in God's promise would waver, and doubt would creep in. I would wonder if perhaps everyone was right -- was I crazy to hold on? But when these doubts would come, I did something that seems unreasonable. I would walk to the edge of the slide and look down on what had turned men's faces white when they first saw it.

Instead of being filled with alarm, I would feel the presence of the Lord wash over me, and I would "stand there awhile" listening to His voice. Always, I would walk away with the peace that passes understanding restored to my soul.”

The house still stands. Many years after the slide, the bank had completely regrown, and when they sold it a few years ago, the buyer had no concern for the safety of the house.

How different our lives would be if we developed the habit of standing still awhile -- even in the frightening place -- until we heard the voice of God.

In our hectic world of change, endless appointments, busy schedules, and information overload, have we forgotten how to take time to simply stand awhile and listen?

Dear Lord, we come to stand before Your throne and ask that You teach us to become still, that we may hear Your voice above all the noise. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Sheep Listen to My Voice.

John 10:27 (NIV)

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

Millie, the lamb, began life in a most unusual way. Her mother, a frisky adventuresome ewe, somehow found her way into the straw mow -- an area above the cattle stalls. The mow was covered with thick layers of straw, hiding the opening used to scoop the straw down into the cattle stalls below. The ewe was not aware of the hidden opening and came crashing down to her death.

The farmer saw it happen, and knowing she was about to lamb, quickly took a sharp knife from his pocket and performed a cesarean birth. With large callused hands, he gently lifted out the tiny long-legged creature. Wiping her clean with fresh straw and tucking her into his jacket, he hurried up to the farmhouse to the lamb's temporary home in the warm kitchen. The feeding of the little orphan became the task of the farmer's four-year-old son. As the lamb, who became known as Millie, greedily tugged at the teat affixed to a pop bottle, the little boy would tell her about the happenings of his day, or his problems (if a four-year-old in a greatly-loved family setting experienced such a situation), and Millie came to know his voice.

As time went by, the baby lamb became a healthy ewe, and whenever the boy stood at the back door of the farmhouse and called, "Millie-e-e", the ewe would come running just as fast as she could up the lane leading to the farmhouse to stand beside the young lad. She might have been grazing at the far edge of the farm. It did not matter. It just seemed as if she were always listening for his voice. Other family members would call, but she never responded to their voices.

Jesus said that His sheep are constantly listening to His voice. The late General Albert Orsborn, of the Salvation Army, in one of his hymns, suggests a further depth and dimension to just "listening": listening with a readiness to serve Him. Remembering that we are His hands and feet in our world, let us be willing to obey His requests with hearts full of love for Him. On the surface, we might consider this plan impossible! Regardless, let us endeavor to be consciously aware of His voice, with the attitude of adventure, the closeness of companionship with our Savior, and the desire to be used in His service.

Dear Lord, Thank You for the example of obedience You showed in Your life. We pray that we would follow Your example and we would listen to Your voice and be obedient to the things You tell us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Set the Snake Down.

John 11:25-26 (NIV)

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

Here is a story that comes from India, somewhere around the 1850s.

The location was the home of the British Governor-General who had invited the important folks of the British community to join him in celebrating the Queen's birthday.

While the adults were preoccupied with talk of matters political, the children were free to wander the grounds and play. Every once in a while one of the little ones would interrupt the adults with a question, an argument which needed to be settled, or a scraped knee which had to be comforted. That's why nobody paid much attention when a three-year-old wandered in with a prize in his hand.

Nobody paid much attention until someone noticed the child was holding a small, poisonous snake: a Russell's viper. The child's father, with as calm a voice as he could muster, said, "John, put that down right this minute."

Now John might have thought his father was just trying to spoil his fun. He could have run away clutching his treasure. He could have debated or negotiated his father's request. If he had pursued any of those alternatives, in all probability, he would have died.

Instead, John did as his loving father had asked. He set the snake down, and he lived.

It hardly needs to be said that the little boy is an excellent example for all of humanity. Like him, we also ought to listen to our loving Father as He speaks to us in Holy Writ, as He lays out the path for our salvation.

When our Father commands, "Leave this sin alone," we ought to take note. When He says, "This is My beloved Son, listen to Him," we ought to pay attention (see Matthew 17:5). When Jesus says, "Believe on Me and you will never die," we ought to be thankful and put all our hope of salvation in His nail-pierced hands.

Dear Lord, thank you for loving us enough to send Your Son to be our salvation. We pray for those who are close to us and who refuse to listen. May they learn to trust You and Your good intentions before it is too late. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

I Murdered My Grandmother

Mark 4:9 (NIV)

Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

The story is told of Franklin Roosevelt, who often endured long receiving lines at the White House. He complained that no one really paid any attention to what was said.

One day, during a reception, he decided to try an experiment. To each person who came down the line and shook his hand, he murmured, "I murdered my grandmother this morning." The guests responded with phrases like, "Marvelous! Keep up the good work. We are proud of you. God bless you, sir."

It was not until the end of the line, while greeting the ambassador from Bolivia, that his words were actually heard. Not quite knowing what to say, the ambassador leaned over and whispered, "I'm sure she had it coming."

Have many times have you ever heard someone say, "Nobody ever listens to me!"? And how many people go through life frustrated because there truly is nobody who will take the time to really listen to what they have to say? Everybody wants to talk, but so few want to listen! Benjamin Franklin once said, "A pair of good ears will drink dry a hundred tongues."

Today make it your goal to stop and listen, really listen. Let’s not just go through the motions.

Dear Lord, Help us to slow down and really listen today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Do You Stop to Listen?

James 1:19 (NIV)

 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become anger.

The other day I read about a college professor who was leaving the office for several days. The man normally received a great deal of e-mail, and so he arranged for his e-mail program to automatically send a simple reply to anyone who sent him a message. Then he left.

The professor's plan was great, except for one small thing he forgot: the dozen or so automated mailing lists he was on. This meant that whenever an automated e-mail was sent to his account, the account sent back the professor's “out of town” message. Unfortunately, the automated system was not set up to handle this reply, which caused it to send the professor another message telling him so...which caused his account to respond with another message, and so on and so on....

E-mail traffic began to climb, until eventually the school’s e-mail system was handling more than 800 messages every five minutes, and crashed. System managers had to break into the professor’s account to fix the problem. The machines were so busy talking to one another they don’t even have time to listen anymore!

We have more ways to communicate today than ever before. We can communicate with the other side of the world as quickly as we can walk across the street. We can send a message to millions of people with the touch of a single button. We have pagers, cell-phones, modems, and e-mail, all designed to help us communicate.

But sometimes I wonder if, in spite of all our communication tools, we have lost the skill of communicating. Loneliness doesn’t seem to have abated. Despair seems to be at its usual levels. I heard recently about a woman who ran an ad in the newspaper offering to sit and listen to phone callers’ talk for 30 minutes for $5.00. Are we that desperate for someone to listen? Amazingly, the answer seems to be “yes.”

How are your listening skills? Are you too busy to listen, or do you make time for this most simple of loving gestures. Take a few minutes to listen to someone today. You will do somebody a world of good.

Dear Lord, Help us to take the time to listen today. WE know that there are many out there that need someone to be there for them. Help us be that person today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

The Chicken and the Windshield

James 1:19 (New International Version)

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,

In an issue of Meat & Poultry magazine, editors quoted from "Feathers," the publication of the California Poultry Industry Federation, telling the following story:

The US Federal Aviation Administration has a unique device for testing the strength of windshields on airplanes. The device is a gun that launches a dead chicken at a plane's windshield at approximately the speed the plane flies. The theory is that if the windshield doesn't crack from the carcass impact, it'll survive a real collision with a bird during flight.

It seems the British were very interested in this and wanted to test a windshield on a brand new, speedy locomotive they're developing. They borrowed FAA's chicken launcher, loaded the chicken and fired.

The ballistic chicken shattered the windshield, broke the engineer's chair and embedded itself in the back wall of the engine's cab. The British were stunned and asked the FAA to recheck the test to see if everything was done correctly.

The FAA reviewed the test thoroughly and had one recommendation: Use a thawed chicken.

Communication. So vital to good relationships, yet so subject to breakdowns. Have you ever found yourself in trouble (in your marriage, in friendships, or at work) because you didn't listen carefully to what someone else said to you? You thought you understood correctly, and you almost understood correctly, but you overlooked one tiny detail and it almost proved to be disastrous.

Listening is an art that few have mastered. We would much rather be heard than take the time and trouble to listen to others. But God's Word has much to say about the value of listening.

Lets each of us take the effort today to listen carefully to others. It just may prevent a frozen chicken from flying through your windshield!

Dear Lord we thank You for always listening to us. We pray that we would take the time to listen to those around us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

A Gental Thunder, A story by Max Lucado

Once there was a man who dared God to speak.



"Burn the bush like you did for Moses, God and I will follow.


Collapse the walls like you did for Joshua, God and I will fight.


Still the waves like you did on Galilee, God and I will listen."


And so the man went and sat by a bush, near a wall close to the sea and waited for God to speak.


And God heard the man , So God answered.


He sent fire, not for the bush, but for a church.


He brought down a wall, not of brick, but of sin.


He stilled a storm, not of the sea, but of a soul.


And God waited for the man to respond.


And he waited ...


And waited ...


And waited...


But because the man was looking at bushes, not hearts; bricks, not lives; seas and not souls, he decided that God had done nothing.


Finally he looked at God and asked, "Have you lost your power?"


And God looked at him and said, "Have you lost your hearing?"






If you will humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, in His good time He will lift you up. Let Him have all your worries and cares, for He is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you.
-1 Peter 5: 6-7 (The Living Bible)






Dear Lord, we pray that our ears would be open and that we would hear what you are saying to us. Help us not only listen for what we want to hear. In Jesus’ Name, amen

What Do You Hear?

A Native American and his friend were in downtown New York City, walking near Times Square in Manhattan. It was during the noon lunch hour and the streets were filled with people. Cars were honking their horns, taxicabs were squealing around corners, sirens were wailing, and the sounds of the city were almost deafening. Suddenly, the Native American said, "I hear a cricket."

His friend said, "What? You must be crazy. You couldn't possibly hear a cricket in all of this noise!"

"No, I'm sure of it," the Native American said, "I heard a cricket."

"That's crazy," said the friend.

The Native American listened carefully for a moment, and then walked across the street to a big cement planter where some shrubs were growing. He looked into the bushes, beneath the branches, and sure enough, he located a small cricket. His friend was utterly amazed.

"That's incredible," said his friend. "You must have super-human ears!"

"No," said the Native American. "My ears are no different from yours. It all depends on what you're listening for."

"But that can't be!" said the friend. "I could never hear a cricket in this noise."

"Yes, it's true," came the reply. "It depends on what is really important to you. Here, let me show you."

He reached into his pocket, pulled out a few coins, and discreetly dropped them on the sidewalk. And then, with the noise of the crowded street still blaring in their ears, they noticed every head within twenty feet turn and look to see if the money that tinkled on the pavement was theirs.

"See what I mean?" asked the Native American. "It all depends on what's important to you."

What is important to you? Lets take the time to listen to what God has for each of us.

And he [the Lord] said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind and earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

-- I Kings 19: 11-12 (KJV)

Dear Lord, we thank You for speaking to us, we pray that we will take the time to listen to the still small voice. In Jesus’ Name, amen

Don't just PRAY take time to LISTEN to God answer

I got this in an email today and thought it was really good especially when you take a look around the world and see the many people and families that are suffering in one way or another. Lets always remember to not only pray but to listen also to what God is saying to us.

There once was a man who had nothing for his family to eat. He had an old rifle and three bullets. So, he decided that he would go out hunting and kill some wild game for dinner. As he went down the road, he saw a rabbit. He shot at the rabbit and missed it.

The rabbit ran away. Then he saw a squirrel and fired a shot at the squirrel and missed it.

The squirrel disappeared into a hole in a cottonwood tree..

As he went further, he saw a large wild 'Tom' turkey in the tree, but he had only one bullet remaining.

A voice spoke to him and said, 'Pray first, aim high and stay focused. However, at the same time, he saw a deer which was a better kill. He brought the gun down and aimed at the deer. But, then he saw a rattlesnake between his legs about to bite him, so he naturally brought the gun down further to shoot the rattlesnake. Still, the voice said again to him, 'I said 'Pray, Aim high and Stay focused.'

So, the man decided to listen to God's voice.

He prayed, then aimed the gun high up in the tree and shot the wild turkey. The bullet bounced off the turkey and killed the deer. The handle fell off the gun and hit the snake in the head and killed it. And, when the gun had gone off, it knocked him into a pond. When he stood up to look around, he had fish in all his pockets, a dead deer and a turkey to eat for his family.

The snake (Satan) was dead simply because the man listened to God.

Moral of the story:

Pray first before you do anything, aim and shoot high in your goals, and stay focused on God. Never let others discourage you concerning your past. The past is exactly that, 'the past.' Live every day one day at a time and remember that only God knows our future and that he will not put you through any more than you can bear.

Do not look to man for your blessings, but look to the doors that only He has prepared in advance for you in your favor.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
-Philippians 4:6

Dear Lord as we pray help our ears be open to what you are saying to us. We pray that we would have the faith to foloow what you tell to do. In Jesus name, Amen.